The Illusion of Free Will
by SailorSilvanesti
Summary: Tumblr Prompt, "Just Let Me Die -Hannigram" AU. Mind writhing, twisting in upon itself with the images of the dead he cannot forget, Will seeks solace in the only person he thinks might understand. He runs to Hannibal for help, realising too late the truth of Hannibal Lecter's fine dining cuisine... and the reality of the steel jawed trap now closed upon his own throat...


Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal, or any associated characters.

Tumblr Prompt, "Just Let Me Die -Hannigram" AU.

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**~*The Illusion of Free Will*~**

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Shaking fingers fisted the immaculate fabrics of his suit, rumpling it almost beyond repair… but that was alright, suits could be replaced, his delectable lover, his toy… he could not.

Not for a long time had another human being captivated him so, it was almost unfathomable the sensations that this one man seemed to conjure within him. Especially given his tendency toward emotionless murder of the rude…

YEt somehow this one man, this Will Graham, had wormed himself under his skin like a parasite… perhaps it was the potential buried just under the surface, or how much like Hannibal had once been before he knew what he was… what he could do.

It made him feel things that he never thought possible, an affection that surpassed almost anything else; a strong desire to protect and nurture this talent, to hold it close and never let it go, to… well, the very thoughts that entered his mind were of a nature he seldom allowed himself to express, but they were indeed realistic and sent flames of desire through his deceptively thin frame.

Will, his Will… such a beautifully tormented soul.

The wide eyes pleading with Hannibal to give him balance, to be his anchor in the psychological storm brewing in his mind… fingers grasping onto the cannibalistic psychiatrist for dear life, skin pale and clammy but iridescent in the moonlight. Breathing shallow and rapid, Will stared at Hannibal like he was his deity in human form, begging without words for something… he didn't know what, it seemed…

"Hannib-… please… I need, please… my mind is everywhere, I can't stop seeing all the… the bodies… please," he whispered brokenly against the psychologist's chest, resting his head there like he could no longer hold it up with the weight of everything going on internally.

He generously placed a hand to the other man's head and began to pet soothingly, "Of course Will, anything you need… perhaps you would like to lie down a moment?" he queried steering the other towards his room, given that there just so happened to be a future meal sitting on his lounge at the present moment.

He really should take that to the kitchen before it woke up again. She had not been rude, per say… but she did seem to have intentions on Will, and that put her in his way, so it appears her fate was to make a sumptuous appetiser for Will later on.

Apparently far too out of touch with reality for the moment to have any semblance of self-preservation, Will allowed the older man to navigate him through the stately house and into Hannibal's own master bedroom.

"Calm yourself William, take a deep breath… and then we shall count to three and you will let go of me, and rest. Does that sound amenable to you?" the silky voice intoned.

The response was more physical than verbal, and he felt the nod against his chest, as well as the sharp inhale and expansion of a shaking chest. His dear Will was slowly spiralling down, becoming mentally unhinged in the most fascinating of ways… but he still obeyed directions, as long as Hannibal spoke in that calm, soothing tone he always employed around his patients.

Of course, the subliminal cues he placed in the younger man's subconscious, to always follow his directives, were quite helpful in this particular circumstance, as well.

"Will, when I count down to one, you will be calm enough to release me and make your way to the bed, alright?" Hannibal stated quietly. "Three… Two… One…"

Hannibal felt the slackening of the fingers, the absence of the meagre body warmth the other man projected, and watched with a mixture of pity and pride as Will made his way over to the bed to fall upon it exhausted.

These episodes of his appeared to be gaining in frequency, and taxing the poor man more and more as they wore on; as he fought them, and his destiny…

"Yes good… on the bed… now let's get your shoes off and I'll tuck you in." said the not-so-good Doctor, slipping off the thankfully-clean shoes his number one patient was wearing, and setting them aside before pulling the duvet over him. "Rest… I'll prepare a meal for later, and then we shall talk about this."

"B-but Doctor I don't th-think… " Will breathed, squirming around to face Lecter with wide eyes, "I… can't make it turn off… please… my mind… I don't want to hurt anyone but the bodies…"

"Will, I said… rest," Hannibal repeated in the same tone, before snapping his fingers and whispering, "_Morpheus_."

Those brilliant, desperate sea-green orbs fixated on his face lost clarity a split-second before rolling back into their sockets as Will lost consciousness.

Hannibal waited a moment to be certain the trigger-word had worked, then promptly turned and left the room.

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Dinner was indeed a more difficult creation than previously imagined, as the sedative was not quite as potent on those who had consumed large quantities of alcohol prior to being dosed with it. Something he had not assumed the woman was likely to do, in all honesty, she presented quite well.

She was subdued, thankfully not in an entertaining area as it would be impossible to get the stains from the sofa, but at a cost. As a parting gift, she managed to nearly dislodge his right eyeball from it's socket, but only succeeded in taking some flesh with her vicious false nails.

How utterly rude of her.

On the pleasant side of the whole fiasco, the freshness of the meat had resulted in an exquisite selection of meats for him to craft into an obscenely delectable meal for Will and himself to dine upon.

In fact, he was just laying the table when the tell-tale signs of movement from the upstairs bedroom echoed through the house to let the Doctor know Will had awakened and was presumably quite confused. Memory loss was a typified response to some of the more recent episodes he suffered…

"Come downstairs, dinner is ready Will, and you will not on this occasion be requiring your shoes," he called out, the sound ringing in the vastness of the house.

Shuffling, Will made his appearance in the dining hall, and stood awaiting some sort of sign as to what to do next. Hannibal gestured towards the chair at the nearest end of the table to the slightly rumpled man, merely observing the progress Will made from standing point to chair before seating himself.

"Please, avail yourself of my cooking, you must be hungry…" Hannibal said, gesturing to the covered silver tray in front of the criminal profiler, and lifting the lid of his own. Breathing in the tantalising aroma and smiling, ceasing the action when it pulled at the newly-formed scar tissue he had taken the time to carefully disguise.

Will had taken a few tentative bites, seeming to test his stomach as to whether it would or would not be amenable to taking nourishment on board at the present time, and finally deciding to eat with more vigour.

"It's delicious, as always Hannibal but how did I…?" he queried, looking about in some confusion.

"Ah, it seems you were in another of your episodes and somehow made it here to seek my assistance in calming you down from your heightened state. I convinced you to rest in the bedroom while I prepared a meal, as that has worked previously." the psychologist explained, pausing his own meal to steeple his fingers and look down the table at his patient.

Will glanced towards the foyer entrance corridor and noted the lack of sunlight, "Oh… how long was I… oh no, I ruined your dinner, didn't I?" he appeared quite apologetic.

"Do not concern yourself with such things, William, it is always better to dine with friends rather than alone." he smiled, somewhat wolf-like, and went back to his dinner.

The sound of cutlery striking a plate rang through the air, making the psychologist jerk his head upright uncharacteristically surprised and on alert. Will was looking at the couch in horror, then to his plate… and finally, at the man across the table from him.

Hannibal dared a glance to the side, noting with some distaste that he had forgotten to pick up the annoying woman's handbag from where it wedged behind a pillow, the screen of her phone clearly reading '91' in an aborted attempt to call for help before the sedative won over her control.

A thousand excuses flashed into mind immediately, but before he could say anything, Will's eyes met his own… and Hannibal knew all the pieces had come together within that fox-like mind.

"Will… calm yourself…"

"Of… of course, your n-name… of c-course… how did I not? Oh god… this is Melan- anie, how? Why? I know… oh no… you know I know… I-I-…" his breathing became ragged, too close to his previous episode for anything but a potential repetition took hold. The hysteria was slowly seeping in and gripping the mind of the profiler…

Hannibal let out a sigh, and stood, moving about the table and slowly making his way towards the younger man; unhurried, unconcerned and appearing as if he were simply striding through the park on a cool autumn eve.

He paused before William, watching the younger man throw his chair back to the point of toppling, fear visible in those fascinating eyes blown wide at his approach…

"N-no please… j-just do it. If you intend to k-kill me… do it… just let me d-die quickly, please. I know too much. I know… I know…" Will fell away into muttering, staring almost through Hannibal with the intensity of his gaze.

The wild look was something beautiful to behold on this man, but Hannibal merely smiled and reached out a hand to stroke the pale face. "Oh my dear Will, you know everything… and yet nothing, at the same time. No one shall ever believe you…"

"I had always intended for you to find our one day, perhaps… but in truth I had not counted on it being now… but it seems, now you know, my clever little profiler." He brushed his hand down one side of William's face, gaining the man's flagging attention instantly, "Shhh, calm yourself or you may pass out… and I am about to reveal the most exciting thing of all…"

He circled to the other side of the chair, moving with cat-like speed and grace to intercept the profiler as he made a half-hearted attempt to escape. "Ah, ah, ahhhh… no need to rush off now."

Hannibal pulled the younger man closer to him, encircling the smaller with an arm like an iron band, effectively trapping him. "You, Will Graham… why do you fascinate me so? Even I cannot say. You make me feel things for you I never have before, I have no desire to kill you… but I feel as if I must protect you, nurture your potential, show you affection… it is all so confusing and wonderful."

"H-Hannibal, I'm s-sorry… but I don't feel… I don't feel like… there was something but… you kill people Hannibal, how could I ever love someone who causes me such mental anguish? All I see are… are visions of your works everytime I close my eyes! Nothing I could ever feel for you would outweigh the dear I feel, the fear that makes me scream myself awake! I'm…" Will fell silent a moment before whispering, "_I'm sorry, Hannibal…_"

The psychologist was still, silent for a moment.

Finally he said in the silence, "William, I understand I am not what you expected, but the spark is there… both of your own choice and my making. You will love me, and I will never hurt you…"

Will tried to push away, "W-wait… Hannibal, you can't_ make_ someone love you, it doesn't work like that."

The Doctor refused to let him go, proving far stronger than the other had anticipated. "Oh Will, you underestimate me…" he leaned in close to the profiler's ear and whispered, "_Eros._"

For the second time that day, a trigger word sent the bedraggled and exhausted dark-haired man into a brief moment of unconsciousness as the serial murdering mastermind waited.

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In only a few moments, sea-green eyes blinked back open and locked onto Hannibal's face, the look of terror softened and seemed to shift against itself. Almost like mind and body were at war… before setting into an almost serene expression that you often saw on young lovers…

"Hannibal…?" the voice tried for tranquil, but seemed forced. "I… I was wrong, I…I lo-…-ov—…ve yo…ou. Yes, I love you. I don't…? No, I-… don't lo-… yes? I do? I love you? I love you." Will seemed to be fighting himself.

Hannibal took the younger man's face in his hands, pleased that his conditioning had taken hold. He moved in so that there was practically no space in between the pair, and breathed, "As I believe I love you Will, you are mine now… and I will protect you for as long as I am able."

When he pressed their lips together, he pretended not to notice the way the younger man flinched, or the hot salty tang of an errant tear from the other as his control was torn away from him.

Hannibal smiled, now… he had everything he ever wanted.

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**The End**


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